Many of us in the Goulburn Valley share the same vision – one of strong, resilient families and communities.
A major part of this is creating strong and resilient economies. This theme was central to a recent Grow Greater Economic Forum attended by 180 local leaders and held in conjunction between National Australia Bank (NAB) Shepparton, the Committee for Greater Shepparton and Greater Shepparton City Council.
Greater Shepparton’s gross regional product for the year ending June 2018 sits at over $3.5 billion. In the past five years, healthcare and social assistance has grown to become the region’s largest employer, supporting more than 5,600 jobs.
This is a very diverse region and we are seeing established economic drivers like agriculture, horticulture, construction, manufacturing and professional services continue to perform well.
NAB Goulburn Valley regional and agriculture managing partner, Dave Davies was the official master of ceremonies for the forum and said there was a lot to be gained from holding such collaborative events.
“The event highlighted the need for considered planning and investment into public transport and road infrastructure, particularly as more people come to realise our region is a great place to live, work and base a business,” Mr Davies said.
“Employment was another recurring theme on the day. It seems the challenge for the Goulburn Valley is not in creating jobs, but attracting and retaining skilled labour, and training and up-skilling our local workforce, in particular those aged between 18 and 25.”
The Grow Greater Economic Forum event also highlighted the power of collaboration. The challenge for us as a region is to maintain positive momentum and dialogue, while continuing to challenge the norms to keep our community and economy growing and evolving.
If you would like to know more, get in contact with NAB Shepparton by visiting their offices at 381 Wyndham Street Shepparton, or by phoning 13 22 55.
